Sammy Sosa, Cubs close to a reunion. The longest, stupidest plot in Chicago can now end

In a most gracious gesture, Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts invited the most prolific home run hitter in franchise history, the man who has sold more tickets to Wrigley Field than beer and ivy, to the fan convention Teams invited next month.

The Cubs, of course Sell ​​tickets to their congress.

What’s next? You invite Sosa back to Wrigley Field and then raise prices for the occasion?

Well, that’s what should happen.

Go deeper

Sammy Sosa admits ‘mistakes’ and moves closer to reunion with Cubs

The reaction from Cubs fans, the people who really matter in this story, will be incredible if Sosa is back. Imagine the cheers as he walks to the mound to throw out his first pitch this summer as highlights of his heroics play on the video board.

Sosa hit 545 of his 609 career home runs in a Cubs uniform, but left the team embarrassed after the 2004 season.

That was 20 years ago. What fans remember now is how he hit all those home runs on Waveland Avenue and how happy he made them in 1998 when he hit 66 and batted with Mark McGwire. That home run chase is no longer viewed with the same eyes, but the memories of its excitement remain.

Slammin’ Sammy Sosa was so much fun to watch 🤩 pic.twitter.com/P3yZyFpaYl

– FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) December 19, 2024

Sosa’s true legacy is how much money he made for the Cubs. He put butts in seats, beer in hands and money in bank accounts.

No one, not even Harry Caray or Theo Epstein, made more money for the Cubs than Sosa, who single-handedly made Wrigley Field the haunt for years while beating the clubs (presumably with the help of some off-label vitamins from the Flintstones). Late 1990s and early 2000s.

On Thursday, the long-awaited rapprochement between Sosa and the Cubs came via press release. Sosa released a letter that included the word “apology,” and the Cubs released a letter accepting it.

“I left everything on the field to the Cubs and the Cubs fans because I wanted to win and make the fans happy,” Sosa wrote. “I understand why some players of my era don’t always get the recognition our stats deserve.

“There were times when I did my best to recover from my injuries and maintain my strength for 162 games. I have never broken any laws, but in hindsight I made mistakes and I apologize for that.”

A statement and an apology from Sammy Sosa: pic.twitter.com/jthuuULVrh

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) December 19, 2024

“We thank Sammy for releasing his statement and for coming forward,” Ricketts said in a statement. “No one played harder or wanted to win more. No one is perfect, but we never doubted his passion for the game and the Cubs.

“To say Sammy is a fan favorite is an understatement. We plan to invite him to the 2025 Cubs Convention and hope he can attend, even if it is on short notice. We are all ready to move forward together.”

And since it’s time for apologies, perhaps Ricketts can apologize for a few things. Not signing Bryce Harper as a free agent would be a start. I have some ideas for apology topics for other members of his family. While we’re at it, the Cubs can give the Tribune Company a mea culpa for accepting all the money generated by Sosa.

The longest, dumbest ongoing storyline in Chicago — aside from all the Bears stuff and anything involving Jerry Reinsdorf — can end now.

No one is sure why Ricketts — whose family bought the team in 2009, five years after Sosa last played for the Cubs — had this strange obsession with Sosa apologizing for taking performance-enhancing drugs in the steroid era , as a condition of welcoming him back. But I’m glad we can stop talking about it.

In his apology letter, Sosa refrained from using words like “steroids” or “PEDs,” and who really cares? He was never caught – he was named in a 2009 New York Times article about players who tested positive in 2003 – but given what we know about the steroid era, no one really needs a signed affidavit.

Sosa’s alleged steroid use has long been a hot story – remember when Sports Illustrated’s Rick Reilly asked him to take a urine test? – but the steroid era is now simply accepted as an unfortunate part of baseball history. Baseball Hall of Fame voters have largely excluded suspected or known steroid users from Cooperstown, and while I don’t necessarily agree with that stance, that is the price these players pay for their baseball sins and those of their time.

But most of those athletes have been welcomed back to their teams and are playing a public role in the game, from broadcasting to marketing. Sosa was the exception. Surely some of this was his fault. Anyone who has dealt with Sosa knows that he wasn’t always easy to deal with. His ego could be as big as his biceps.

The Pulse newsletter

Free, daily sports updates straight to your inbox.

Free, daily sports updates straight to your inbox.

Sign in

The Cubs and Sosa had tried to mend the relationship before — including a deal that required him to do an interview with a local radio show — but it took two to make it happen. While I’m sure Sosa could be a pain, Ricketts could have made this story go away years ago, but it persisted and had become tiresome.

It is mutually beneficial to get back together. Sosa’s story doesn’t need to be glossed over, but it doesn’t need to be exaggerated either. We are all adults here. Enough time has passed that we can contextualize the steroid era for what it was.

Sometimes, as the old movie quote goes, you just print out the legend.

Hopefully Sosa shows up to the Cubs convention, which could use a dash of excitement, and gets his hero’s welcome – the attendees are crazy about Pete LaCock and Mike Fontenot, so Sosa will bring the house down – and there has to be a Sosa day too at Wrigley Field. Dynamic ticket pricing was invented for such games.

And then he should build the team’s small Hall of Fame, currently located in a hallway connecting the left field concourse to the stands. Sosa was on the ballot last year but didn’t get in. The committee consists of media representatives, historians and ex-Cubs. so it’s up to them.

You don’t have to stop here. I would be for a Sosa statue. You can take it where it belongs, to Waveland Ave., where his home runs and his legend can live on forever.

(Photo: John Biever / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)